Surveillance of Fresh Artisanal Cheeses Revealed High Levels of Contamination in the Department of Quindío, Colombia.

Listeriosis is a foodborne disease caused by . Because outbreaks of listeriosis are associated with the ingestion of contaminated dairy products, surveillance of artisanal cheeses to detect the presence of this microorganism is necessary. We collected three types of artisanal non-acid fresh cheese (Campesino, Costeño, and Cuajada) from 12 municipalities of the Department of Quindío, Colombia. was identified using VIDAS and confirmed with API Listeria Rapid Kit. was detected in 104 (53.6%) of the 194 artisanal fresh-cheese samples analyzed. The highest percentages of contamination were detected in Salento (90.9%), Calracá (65.5%), Armenia (64.9%), and Filandia (50%). A significant association between municipality and contamination with was identified. However, no association could be established between the type of cheese and the occurrence of the bacterium. This is the first study on the presence of in artisanal fresh cheeses sold in the municipalities of the Department of Quindío, and the findings revealed very high percentages of contaminated samples. The presence of in artisanal cheeses remains a public health threat in developing countries, especially Colombia, where existing legislation does not require the surveillance of in food.